Doorpost locking arrangement for railway cars



Aug. 9, 1966 F. P. ADLER 3,265,015

DOORPOST LOCKING ARRANGEMENT FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed July 2, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 w xaw lA/VE/VTOR FRANKLl/V P ADLER DOORPOST LOCKING ARRANGEMENT FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed July 2, 1964 F. P. ADLER Aug. 9, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 /NVEN7'0R. FRANKL/N F? ADLER United States Patent 3,265,015 DOORPOST LOQKING ARRANGEMENT FOR RAILWAY CARS Franklin P. Adler, Michigan City, ind, assignor to Pullman Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 2, 1964, Ser. No. 379,800 Claims. (Cl. 105-378) The present invention relates to an improved doorpost locking arrangement for open side railway cars.

Open side railway cars of the type to which present invention relates comprise generally a door which extends continuously the full length of the car between the end walls thereof. Covering the open side of the car are a plurality of side by side roll-up type of doors. To facilitate the opening and closing of the side-by-side doors, a doorpost is positioned between adjacent ones of the doors intermediate the ends of the car. The door post is generally movably mounted for lengthwise movement of the car from a position between the doors to a position adjacent one of the end walls.

The doorpost includes a trackway for receiving rollers of the roll-up door mounted along the sides thereof. In positioning the doorpost, it is essential that the latter assumes a substantially perpendicular position so that the trackway formed in the post aligns with the trackway mounted along the roof of the car and also with the roller or rollers on the sides of the roll-up doors. In the absence of this perpendicular relationship of the doorpost in the side opening, the rollers mounted along the sides of the roll-up doors tend to break away from the door or jamb within the doorpost guideway. This renders the doors inoperative for open-ing and closing the same.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a locking arrangement for the doorpost which assures that the doorpost is always locked in a normal or perpendicular attitude in the operative position so as to preclude the difliculties encountered heretofore.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a looking arrangement including a slidable bolt member located at the lower part of the doorpost and .a locator member located at the upper end of the doorpost which are constructed and arranged so as to be disposed within openings provided at the respective upper and lower portions of the car only when the doorpost is in a substantially perpendicular position.

It is another object to provide a locking bolt arrangement and a locating arrangement wherein the locating arrangement and the bolt are constructed and arranged so as to coact with each other and preclude the insertion of the bolt member into the open-ing formed along the bottom of the car until the locator member is inserted into its respective opening along the top of the car.

It is still another object to provide an improved locking bolt arrangement including a locator bolt which is constructed and arranged so that the locator bolt and the locking bolt are retracted out of engagement with the respective openings along the roof and floor until the doorpost is disposed in its operative position whereupon manual actuation of the locator member and side bolt permits the locking of the same.

Further objects and feature will hereinafter appear.

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a railway car embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the doorpost arrangement of the present invention showing the doorpost in its operative position;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the doorpost taken generally along the lines 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 1;

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FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional illustration of the doorpost showing the locking arrangement in the locked operative position thereof;

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5 but showing the locker bolt and locator means in the intermediate position assumed during the unlocking of the doorpost from its operative position; and

FIG. 7 is'a View similar to FIGS. 5 and 6 but showing the locking bolt in its unlocked position wherein the doorpost is free to be moved lengthwise of the car.

Referring now to the drawings, in particular FIG. 1, there is shown a railway car 10 which is supported on wheels 11 by a suitable underframe structure which includes side sills 12. The car body 10 includes two end car structures each comprising a car end and two end piers 13 which may be structurally connected to each other. The car body also includes a roof structure 14, and removable doorposts 15. Three roll-up doors 16, two of which are shown in FIG. 4, are provided to close the open sides between the end piers 13. One of the roll-up doors 16 is located between the two doorposts 15. The remaining doorposts along the end are located between one of the doorposts and the adjacent end pier 13. Guiding the roll-up door 16 along the end pier 13 is a door guide channel 17 as shown in particular in FIG. 4. A suitable floor structure 18 is supported by the side sills 12 and the other conventional components of the underframe.

The car structure is preferably of unit-frame type shown in co-pend-ing US. application Ser. No. 208,659 assignee of the present invention and in which the load carrying capacity of the car is developed by two transversely spaced unit frames which require no vertical structural members at points between the car ends thus permitting removal of the doorpost 15 during loading.-

Each doorpost 15, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, extends between a side plate 19 forming part of the roof structure 14 and the side sill 12 which as above described forms a part of the floor structure 18. The upper end of the doorpost 15 is removably mounted with respect to the side plate 19 by a roller engagement including post rollers 20 which are turnably mounted on a bracket 21 fixed to the upper end of each of doorposts 15. The post rollers 20 are slidable on a track 22 extending longitudinally of the car and fixed to the side plate 19 above the doorway 23. With the arrangement as shown, the doorpost 15 is laterally displ aceable by swinging movement with respect to the track 22 on which the upper end of the doorpost is mounted. At the same time the doorpost is also slidable within the doorway 23 to its operative position shown in FIG. 1 or to a stored position adjacent the end piers 13.

The lower end of the doorpost 15 is removably secured to the threshold of the floor by bolt means to be hereinafter described.

The door-guide channels 17 mounted along each of the end piers 13 are provided with a track 24 as shown in FIG. 4 which is adapted to receive the rollers 26 along one side of the door 16. Similarly, the doorposts 15 are provided with tracks 25 for coaction with rollers 26 mounted along the other side of the door. The roll-up doors 16 are each of the general type disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 134,259 and are made up of a plurality of hingedly connected sections 16a. The coaction between the door sections, the rollers 26, and the tracks 24 and 25 is more or less conventional and it is not deemed to be necessary to describe the action in further detail.

The construction of the doorposts is such that it is necessary that each be locked in the doorway before the roll-up doors 16 may be closed. In the closed position the lower edge of each of the doors 16 abuts against a portion of the floor structure 18 and is locked thereto as by door locking bolts (not shown).

The doorpost as shown in FIG. 4 may be for-med of an extruded channel which includes a pair of inner horizontal flanges 28 projecting from each side of a transversely extending central rib 29. Formed on the inner surface of horizontal flanges 28 are arcuate grooves 30 which define the tracks receiving the respective door rollers 26 fixed to the adjacent doors 16. Formed on the outer face of the doorpost 15 is a door locking post retention means comprising essentially oppositely disposed substantially rectangular retention groove 32 which is defined by two legs 31 projecting outwardly from the central rib 29, and transversely extending ledges 33 projecting horizontally outwardly from the central rib 29 inwardly of the legs and underlying the arcuate wheel groove 30.

The door post tracks 25 as defined by the arcu-ate groove 30 and the horizontal ledges 33 are each aligned with respective ones of roof mounted tracks 34 along which the door rollers 26 are rollable when the respective doors 16 :are in the stored position along the underside of the roof.

From the foregoing description it is readily apparent that it is essential the doorposts 15 including the track. 25 be maintained parallel along the length thereof with the track 24 extending along the end pier 13 to facilitate the movement of the door between the door closed and open positions. In the absence of such a parallel relationship of the track 24 and the tnack 25, there is likelihood that the rollers will bind within the tracks or, alternatively, if a great enough force is applied to overcome the binding to move the door, the door rollers 26 will be detached from their respective pivot shafts fixed to the door. The latter condition renders the doors 16 inoperative. To assure the parallel relationship of the tracks 24 and 25, it is essential that the doorposts 15 be maintained in a substantially perpendicular attitude and also in alignment with the respective roof tracks 34 so that the door 16 may be readily moved to a stored position under the roof 14.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a locking arrangement for assuring that the doorpost always assumes the perpendicular attitude in the operative position thereof. To this end there is provided a locator arrangement 35 for locating the doorpost in one of the operative positions, shown in FIG. 1, for closing the door 15 and a locking bolt arrangement 36 which serves to lock the doorpost in its operative position. The locator arrangement 35 and the locking bolt arrangement 36 are arranged to coact with each other so as to prevent the insertion of the locking bolt arrangement 36 into its operative locked position until the doorpost assumes the vertical or perpendicular attitude, shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in particular in FIGS. 2 and 3, the locking bolt arrangement 36 includes a pair of bolts 37 and 38 of which bolt 37 is of more or less conventional structure and includes a bar formed of substantially rectangular cross-section. Fixed to the forward face of each of the bolts 37 and 38 and extending outwardly of respective elongate slots 39, formed in the forward face of the extruded channel, is a handle member 40. The handle 49 is employed to manually raise and lower the bolts 37 and 38 from engagement in and out of a bolt opening 41 formed in the side sill 12 of the car. Limiting downward movement of the bolts 37 and 38 is a strap member 42 extending across the slot 39 so as to engage the underside of the outwardly projecting handle when the bolts 37 and 38 are seated within the opening 41.

At the upper end there is formed on each of the handles 40 an outwardly projecting locking lug 43 which is adapted to be accommodated within respective openings 44 formed in a lower portion of a locking plate 45 which is hingedly connected at its upper end by means of a pin 46 carried by projecting lugs 47 fixed to the outer face of the doorpost channel. The locking plate 45 is swingable about the pin 46 to hold the locking bolts 37 and 38 (the latter is also provided with a lug) in the positions shown in FIGS. 2 and 5 by means of the locking lug 43 being captured within the openings 44 in the locking plate 45.

Referring now in particular to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 there is shown the construction of the locking bolt member 38 which is employed with the locator means 36 to position the doorpost 15 in its upright operative position. The bolt 38 at the upper end is cut away along the right hand portion so as to form a substantially vertical guiding surface 48. Spaced downwardly from the upper extremity of the bolt 38 is the notch 49 having a lower horizontal notch surface 50 which projects to the right of the guiding surface 48. Extending downwardly from the lower notch surface 50 is a second vertical guiding surface 51 which terminates at a horizontal ledge 52 of the bolt member 38.

As shown, the second guiding surface is sufliciently undercut relative to the major section of the bolt body 38 so as to clear a locator stop 53 fixed to the inner side of the doorpost channel. The locator stop block 53 is formed with an upper stop surface 54 and an intermediate stop surface 55, formed in a :rearwardly cut-away portion.

Resting on the top surface of the stop block in the locked position of the bolt 38 is a block. 56 from which there extends a handle member 57 of the locator means 35. The handle 57 may be formed of rod stock of circular section which is bent so as to extend forwardly of the doorpost.

Fixed at one end to the block 56 is an actuator rod 58 of which the other end is force fitted or otherwise suitably fastened to the lower end of a locator bolt 59.

The locator bolt 59 is slidably supported within the confines of the upper section of the channel groove 32. At the upper end, the locator bolt 59 is formed with a reduced end 60 which is adapted to be inserted within an opening 61 formed in the horizontal flange of the side plate 19. The opening 61 is reinforced by a substantially U-shaped block 62 Welded or otherwise fixed to the upper surface of the horizontal flange of the side plate 19.

As heretofore described, the slide bolt 38 is provided with a handle 40 similarly to that described above in connection with the slide bolt 37. The handle is slidable within a groove 39 having a right angularly turned notch 64 which is adapted to receive the handle 57 of the locator means 35. Normally the slide bolt 38 and locator means 35 assume the position as shown in FIG. 5. In this position the locking bolt 38 is fully depressed and seated within the opening 41. At the same time, the locator arrangernent 35 is disposed so that the block 56 rests upon the upper ledge of 54 and the plunger at the upper end of the rod 58 is seated within the opening 61.

To release the locking bolt and the door from its locked position, both of the locking bolts 37 and 38 are elevated by means of the respective handles 40. Of course, prior to elevating the handles the locking plate 45 must be swung clear of the lugs 43.

As shown in FIG. 6 when the bolt 38 is elevated by means of the handle 40, in the uppermost position the notch 49 aligns with the locator block 56 resting on the ledge 54. In this position the reduced locator plunger end 60 remains Within the opening 61 thus precluding movement of the doorpost 15 lengthwise along the trackway to a stored position adjacent one side of the car, but permitting rocking movement thereof.

To release locator plunger 59, the block 56 is moved to the left as viewed in FIGS. 6 and 7 so that it is seated or located within the notch 49. In this connection, it should be mentioned that the locator bolt 59 is sized so as to be loosely slidable within the retention groove 32 of the doorpost 32 so as to permit relative tilting movement of the locator rod 58. When thus positioned in the notch 49 the block 56 along with the bolt 38 are simultaneously depressed downwardly by actuation of the handle 57. Downward movement of the bolt 38 and locator plunger 59 is limited by the ledge which engages the underside of the block 56. In this manner the locator plunger 59 is released from engagement with the opening 61 and at the same time the locking plunger 38 is retained out of engagement with the opening 41 whereby the doorpost 15 is free to be swung either laterally about the track 22 in the more or less conventional manner or moved lengthwise of the car to a position adjacent one of the end piers 13.

To return the doorpost 15 to its operative position, the latter. is moved lengthwise along track 22 to a position in proximity to the locator opening 61 and the doorpost lock opening 44. To position the door in its operative position, the locator rod is first elevated upwardly and the projection 60 is inserted into the opening 61. At the same time the block 56 seated within the notch 49 of the locking plunger 38 is elevated above the lower end of the doorpost 15 as shown in FIG. 6.

Thereafter, the handle 57 is swung to the right as viewed in FIG. 6 so that the block 56 is moved out of engagement with the notch 4-9 in the locking bolt member 38, whereupon the latter is free to fall or drop downwardly into engagement with the opening 41 in the floor structure as illustrated in FIG. 5. It is to be observed that until the locator bolt 59 is received or seated within the opening 61, the plunger cannot be elevated. Thus, the locking plunger 38 is held elevated by the block 56 which is seated within the locking bolt notch 49 and held against further downward movement by the locator stop ledge 55. However, when the locator plunger 59 is inserted into the opening 61 the block 56 is elevated above the ledge 55 and is free to be rocked so as to rest on the upper ledge 54. In this position of the locator block 56, the locking plunger 38 is free to drop into its opening 41.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway car having a floor, a roof structure and end walls arranged to form an open side railway car, a roll-up door disposed in said open side, and a roll-up door track fixed between said roof and said floor for guiding one end of said roll-up door; the improvement comprising a removable door post extending vertically between said roof and said floor and spaced lengthwise from said fixed door track, said removable door post having a door track for guiding the other end of said roll-up door, locking means for positioning said removable door post, said locking means comprising a locking bolt member, guiding means on the lower end of said door for guiding said locking bolt member in vertical sliding relationship, an opening in said floor adapted to receive the end of said locking bolt member so that said door post may be locked in said operative position, notch means in said locking bolt member, locator means for ascertaining that said door post assumes a substantially vertical attitude in said operative positon and including a locator bolt disposed adjacent to said locking bolt member, means adjacent the upper end of said door post for guiding said locator bolt for vertical sliding movement, a locator bolt opening in said roof structure adapted to receive the end of said locator bolt means, said locator bolt means including means seatable within said locking bolt notch, and locator bolt stop means mounted on said door post in the path of movement of said locator bolt means for retaining said seatable means seated within said notch and thereby preventing the insertion of said locking bolt member into said locking bolt opening until said locator bolt member is inserted into said locator opening.

2. In a railway car having a floor, a roof structure and end wall arranged to fonm an opening side railway car, a roll-up door disposed in said open side, and a roll-up door track fixed betweensaid roof and said floor for guiding one end of said roll-up door; the improvement comprising a removable door post extending vertically between said roof and said floor and spaced lengthwise from said fixed door track, said removable door post having a door track for guiding the other end of said roll-up door, locking means for positioning said removable door post, said locking means comprising a locking bolt member, guiding means on the lower end of said door post for guiding said locking bolt member in vertical sliding relationship, an opening in said floor structure of said can adapted to receive the end of said locking bolt member so that said door post may be locked in said operative position, notch means in said locking bolt member, locator means for ascertaining that said door post assumes a substantially vertical attitude in said operative position and including a locator bolt means disposed adjacent to said locking bolt member, means adjacent the upper end of said door post for guiding said locator bolt means for vertical sliding movement, a locator bolt opening in said roof structure adapted to receive the end of said locator bolt means, said locator bolt means including means laterally movable and seatable with said locking bolt notch, and locator bolt stop means mounted'on said door post in the path of movement of said locator bolt means for retaining said seatable means seated within said locking bolt notch and thereby the insertion of said locking bolt member into said locking bolt opening until said locator bolt member is inserted into said locator opening.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said locator stop means including a ledge for supporting said late-rally movable and seatable means in a position maintaining said locator bolt in said locator opening, said ledge being disposed above said notch in said locking bolt member when the latter is in the locked position.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said locking bolt members includes means operative when said locking bolt member is in said locked position to prevent said laterally movable and seatable :mean from being displaced from said ledge.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said locator stop means includes a second ledge disposed below said first mentioned ledge, said second ledge being operative to support said laterally movable means thereon when the latter is disposed within said notch of said locking bolt member and thereby to retain said locking bolt member and said locator bolt out of said openings in said floor structure and said roof structure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,400,140 12/1921 Callery -378 X 3,095,830 7/1963 Runken 105378 X ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Examiner. 

1. IN A RAILWAY CAR HAVING A FLOOR, A ROOF STRUCTURE AND END WALLS ARRANGED TO FORM AN OPEN SIDE RAILWAY CAR, A ROLL-UP DOOR DISPOSED IN SAID OPEN SIDE, AND A ROLL-UP DOOR TRACK FIXED BETWEEN SAID ROOF AND SAID FLOOR FOR GUIDING ONE END OF SAID ROLL-UP DOOR; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING A REMOVABLE DOOR POST EXTENDING VERTICALLY BETWEEN SAID ROOF AND SAID FLOOR AND SPACED LENGTHWISE FROM SAID FIXED DOOR TRACK, SAID REMOVABLE DOOR POST HAVING A DOOR TRACK FOR GUIDING THE OTHER END OF SAID ROLL-UP DOOR, LOCKING MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID REMOVABLE DOOR POST, SAID LOCKING MEANS COMPRISING A LOCKING BOLT MEMBER, GUIDING MEANS ON THE LOWER END OF SAID DOOR FOR GUIDING SAID LOCKING BOLT MEMBER IN VERTICAL SLIDING RELATIONSHIP, AN OPENING IN SAID FLOOR ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE END OF SAID LOCKING BOLT MEMBER SO THAT SAID DOOR POST MAY BE LOCKED IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION,NOTCH MEANS IN SAID LOCKING BOLT MEMBER, LOCATOR MEANS FOR ASCERTAINING THAT SAID DOOR POST ASSUMES A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL ATTITUDE IN SAID OPERATIVE POSITION AND INCLUDING A LOCATOR BOLT DISPOSED ADJACENT TO SAID LOCKING BOLT MEMBER, MEANS ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF SAID DOOR POST FOR GUIDING SAID LOCATOR BOLT FOR VERTICAL SLIDING MOVEMENT, A LOCATOR BOLT OPENING IN SAID ROOF STRUCTURE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE END OF SAID LOCATOR BOLT MEANS, SAID LOCATOR BOLT MEANS INCLUDING MEANS SEATABLE WITHIN SAID LOCKING BOLT NOTCH, AND LOCATOR BOLT STOP MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID DOOR POST IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID LOCATOR BOLT MEANS FOR RETAINING SAID SEATAGLE MEANS SEATED WITHIN SAID NOTCH AND THEREBY PRESENTING THE INSERTION OF SAID LOCKING BOLT MEMBER INTO SAID LOCKING BOLT OPENING UNTIL SAID LOCATOR BOLT MEMBER IS INSERTED INTO SAID LOCATOR OPENING. 